308 WHALING AND FISHING. 



"The Margaret's crew will get ashore without 

 difficulty," said the mate, who had been examin- 

 ing with his nightglass the situation of the vessels. 

 " But the Harwood has fallen over with her decks 

 toward the surf. It will not be such an easy 

 matter to get ashore from her." 



In truth, we were told two days after, when the 

 gale subsided and we once more held communica- 

 tions with the shore, that some of the Harwood's 

 crew had narrow escapes, the surf beating so vio- 

 lently against the vessel's exposed deck as to 

 make their position for a few minutes exceedingly 

 critical. The Margaret's people saved all their 

 clothes and other valuables, and had she had any 

 cargo on board, would have been able to have 

 saved that also. 



In Algoa Bay, as in every other seaport in the 

 known world; there is found a Lloyd's agent a 

 person who acts on behalf of the Marine Insurance 

 Companies. I have often wondered how it comes 

 about that whenever there is a wreck, one of these 

 agents appears almost simultaneously with it. 

 Let misfortune overtake a vessel in the most 

 unfrequented spot in the globe, ^,nd I am sure a 

 Lloyd's agent would be on hand. Like the stormy 

 petrel, he is seen principally during a gale and 

 after its subsidence. In fine weather he relapses 

 into insignificance, and be he independent mer- 

 chant or commercial agent, has no marks to 

 distinguish him from others of that class. Wo 

 might have wandered over Algoa Bay for a week 



